Ohio State has begun its spring practices, and the team is currently practicing without pads. Ryan Day is eager to find his next chess piece this spring. While the Buckeyes’ head coach quickly drew parallels between freshman Legend Bey and former hybrid star Curtis Samuel, those covering the team daily are pumping the brakes on the lofty expectations.

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr appeared on the ‘Ohio State Football At Buckeyes Huddle’ podcast on March 16 and discussed the hype around Legend Bey. “So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how legit is the hype?” Gerdeman asked Ohio State insider Tom Orr. Orr first fixed the scale from 1 to 10, and assigned 10 to a player like Jeremiah Smith, someone with both hype and talent. According to Orr’s analysis, Bey is somewhere in the 5 to 6 range.

“We’re not at a nine. We’re not at an eight. And we are probably not at a seven. I think five to six is probably not a bad range,” Orr said. “He’s [Legend Bey] not going to be the guy they’re running the entire offense through. That’s not what this is cuz he’s probably not ready for that, and he may not ever be ready for that. Curtis Samuel was never that guy at Ohio State, but boy, Curtis Samuel made some pretty significant plays for Ohio State during his time.”

Transitioning from a high school quarterback to a Big Ten hybrid role involves a pretty steep learning curve. Samuel arrived in Columbus already polished as a skill player, whereas Bey is essentially learning the nuances of route running and blocking from scratch.

Curtis Samuel is best known for playing both RB and WR at Ohio State, excelling in both. He came to Columbus in January 2014 and quickly played a prominent role in OSU’s natty win. Although Samuel received just 95 yards on 11 receptions, his rushing game was still prominent. He rushed for 383 yards on 58 carries in just his freshman season, for 6 touchdowns.

In total, Curtis received 1,249 yards as a WR and 1,286 yards as an RB in his three years at OSU. Those performances finally elevated him, and the Carolina Panthers selected him at 40th overall in the 2017 NFL draft. Just as Curtis navigated both positions, Ryan Day expects the same with Legend Bey at Ohio State. Although Bey played as a QB in high school, he was still an explosive rusher, and his QB experience makes him adept at knowing the WR routes.

In the 2025 season, Legend Bey threw for 1,341 yards but rushed for a whopping 1,626 yards. One year before, in 2024, Bey had rushed 1,900 yards, and he is also a track and field athlete. He ran the 100 meters in just 10.23 seconds and was also a Texas 6A regional qualifier. All these traits make Bey a standout athlete, but will he be able to realize his true potential?

Ryan Day opens up on playing Legend Bey as both WR and RB

Bey has several standout qualities. For one, he has more than 4,000 career rushing yards, and his downhill acceleration is always tough to counter. Not to mention, his agility in switching short routes is already top-notch, as he evades in tight quarters effortlessly. However, the OSU freshman still needs some time to gel in OSU’s offense, and his 175 lbs frame might need some added weight.

“Just day one out there, he started running back,” Ryan Day said about Bey’s spring practice performance. “He played quarterback in high school, so he has a tremendous skill set, and he’s dynamic when the ball is in his hands. We see him as somebody who could play running back and also move out to wide receiver. I think we’re trying to get a feel for that now. You can see him flash, but he’s got a lot of football to learn.”

In truth, Ryan Day had always planned to experiment with Bey in both roles. Despite losing elite WRs and RBs like Quincy Porter, Mylan Graham, James Peoples, and Bodpegn Miller, Day hasn’t brought in sufficient reinforcements. Of course, Ja’Kobi Jackson comes from Florida at the RB position, and Devin McCuinn and Kyle Parker man the WR position after coming in from UTSA and LSU.

While his track speed makes him an intriguing weapon, expecting Legend Bey to immediately replicate Curtis Samuel’s dual-threat production is quite premature. He’s a fascinating developmental piece for Ryan Day; there’s no doubt about it. However, mastering one position must come before tackling two. What do you think? Let us know in the comments down below.